Brian Kendrick
In late 2002, Kendrick signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) but was unable to compete until he completed his time in the independent circuit. He made his WWE debut on the January 9, 2003 edition of Velocity under the gimmick of a mascot representing the local sports team of the town in which he was competing. He continued wearing masks for several weeks, each time competing under a different identity. After acting as a telegram deliverer for Big Show to Undertaker, and getting a Last Ride for his troubles, he showed up the following week and began a series of events trying to impress the then General Manager of Smackdown! Stephanie McMahon in order to earn a contract for the WWE. His first major storyline within WWE came on the May 1, 2003 episode of SmackDown!. He reverted to his former "Spanky" ring name after he interrupted a promo by John Cena. The two feuded over their similar hip hop gimmicks, until May 22 when Cena defeated Spanky in a match. On October 30, Spanky began teaming with Paul London until January 13, 2004 when Kendrick left WWE to return to Zero1. In July 2005, Kendrick announced that after he had fulfilled his obligations on the independent circuit, he would return to WWE. He made his return during a live event on August 22, 2005, losing in a Fatal Four-Way match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.2 He then reformed a tag team with his former partner Paul London on the September 30 edition of Velocity.39 On December 16, the pair remade their image, wearing theatrical masks to the ring with matching vests and shorts.40 They were quickly elevated into the WWE Tag Team Championship picture, receiving a non-title match against WWE Tag Team Champions MNM on the February 10, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, which London and Kendrick lost.41 On April 7, they faced MNM again, picking up a win in a non-title match.42 Their storyline feud continued, as London and Kendrick continued their winning streak over the champions, including singles victories for both Kendrick and London on MNM members Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury, respectively.434445 London and Kendrick won the WWE Tag Team Title at Judgment Day, thus defeating MNM six times in a row in singles and tag team matches altogether.46 Their first main competition for the titles came when K. C. James and Idol Stevens defeated the champions in a non-title match, in early August, igniting a storyline feud between the two teams. During the rivalry, WWE Diva Ashley Massaro began accompanying London and Kendrick to the ring, acting as a valet to the team while combating the actions of James and Stevens' manager Michelle McCool. On October 14, London and Kendrick became the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions of all time, surpassing MNM's previous record of 145 days. Despite this, they were still booked as the underdogs in their feuds, and this was shown when they began a losing streak to the team of William Regal and Dave Taylor. Regal defeated both in singles matches and on the December 8 episode of SmackDown!, Kendrick and London lost a non-title tag team match to the duo, although Kendrick beat Taylor on the December 9 episode of Velocity. London and Kendrick had a scheduled title defense at Armageddon, against Regal and Taylor. Before the pay-per-view, the match changed into a Fatal Four Way tag team ladder match with London and Kendrick defending their titles against Regal and Taylor, MNM, and The Hardys. London and Kendrick won the match and retained the titles. On February 2, 2007, London and Kendrick suffered a non-title loss to the rookie team Deuce 'n Domino. In a title match at No Way Out, London and Kendrick retained the championship. London and Kendrick, however, dropped the championship to them on the April 20 edition of SmackDown!, ending their reign at 331 days (SmackDown! was recorded on April 17). In the storyline, London missed a moonsault from the ring apron to the floor during the title match, injuring his ribs, leaving Kendrick to battle Deuce 'n Domino alone. London and Kendrick unsuccessfully competed for the title on June 1 in a triple threat tag team match, which also involved Regal and Taylor, and lost a rematch on June 15 in a standard tag team match. Their first main competition for the titles came when K. C. James and Idol Stevens defeated the champions in a non-title match, in early August, igniting a storyline feud between the two teams. During the rivalry, WWE Diva Ashley Massaro began accompanying London and Kendrick to the ring, acting as a valet to the team while combating the actions of James and Stevens' manager Michelle McCool. On October 14, London and Kendrick became the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions of all time, surpassing MNM's previous record of 145 days. Despite this, they were still booked as the underdogs in their feuds, and this was shown when they began a losing streak to the team of William Regal and Dave Taylor. Regal defeated both in singles matches and on the December 8 episode of SmackDown!, Kendrick and London lost a non-title tag team match to the duo, although Kendrick beat Taylor on the December 9 episode of Velocity. London and Kendrick had a scheduled title defense at Armageddon, against Regal and Taylor. Before the pay-per-view, the match changed into a Fatal Four Way tag team ladder match with London and Kendrick defending their titles against Regal and Taylor, MNM, and The Hardys. London and Kendrick won the match and retained the titles. On February 2, 2007, London and Kendrick suffered a non-title loss to the rookie team Deuce 'n Domino. In a title match at No Way Out, London and Kendrick retained the championship. London and Kendrick, however, dropped the championship to them on the April 20 edition of SmackDown!, ending their reign at 331 days (SmackDown! was recorded on April 17). In the storyline, London missed a moonsault from the ring apron to the floor during the title match, injuring his ribs, leaving Kendrick to battle Deuce 'n Domino alone. London and Kendrick unsuccessfully competed for the title on June 1 in a triple threat tag team match, which also involved Regal and Taylor, and lost a rematch on June 15 in a standard tag team match. As part of the 2008 WWE Supplemental Draft, Kendrick was drafted back to the SmackDown brand while London stayed on Raw, thus ending the team. He made his return to the brand on the July 18, 2008 airing of SmackDown! as a heel, with new ring attire defeating Jimmy Wang Yang with the help of his new bodyguard, Ezekiel, who was later given a surname and became Ezekiel Jackson. Kendrick was later given the name "The Brian Kendrick". On the August 22 edition of SmackDown, Kendrick won a 10 man battle royal to qualify for the WWE Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven. Kendrick failed to win the title at the event, though he did have the longest reign as "interim" champion, which is not officially recognized per the pre-match stipulation. He later teamed with Jackson on many occasions, becoming number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship held by Carlito and Primo, but they never managed to win the championship. On April 15, 2009, Kendrick was separated from Jackson as he was drafted back to the Raw brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft while Jackson was drafted to the ECW brand. He wrestled his redebut match on Raw on the April 27 episode, when he lost to Kofi Kingston. He won his first match on Raw after defeating Carlito on the May 11 episode before declaring his intention to win the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship; in the following weeks, Kendrick tried several unsuccessful pairings. On July 30, 2009, Kendrick was released from his WWE contract. Category:Alumni